The Fox and the Lord of Zenith
by Nevetx
Summary: Naruto was alone since birth, however one day he finds a family, who accepts and trains him. How far could he and his circle go with friends and family at a young age? Watch as Naruto and his friends take the shinobi world and new threats out. This story is an Alternate Universe. Rated M, just in case.
1. The Legend Begins

Authors Note: Hello all, This is my first story, it centers around a group of six. Naruto, Hinata, and four Ocs, as this takes place in Naruto's universe it will involve their teams and those close to them. While I did say it revolved around six protagonists, it's more like just Naruto and the main Oc. This story takes place in an alternate universe and though some cannon events need to take place, it doesn't mean it will be full cannon.

The Pairings in this story, at least the ones decided right now are Naruhina and OC x OC. Other couples I might hold a poll on.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Final Fantasy, or anything else. I thought up these Original characters to work in any setting. They are only modified for the universe they are in.**

Chapter 1: The Legend Begins

There are many tales either spoken about or read throughout the ages, some hidden away and forgotten, some get recovered, while others do not. Our story is one passed throughout generations and it begins in a militaristic village, where shinobi and civilians coexist. Although they coexist you the civilians are under rule of the village's Kage, or shadow. This village is Konohagakure no Sato, or the village hidden in the leaves. It is lead by the Hokage, or fire shadow, and resides in Hi no Kuni or rather fire country.

It is an early October day, the area has started cooling off, villagers and shinobi milling about their daily activities. Though at the gate, unbeknownst to the residents of Konoha, there was a large group coming up to the gates. While most of the group wore hoods, only those leading left themselves exposed to the world.

Those exposed were three people, two women and a man, along with a pig in a red vest. The group behind the trio or rather quartet, considering the pig, all had hooded cloaks to conceal their identity. Usually this would make some weary of the group, however from their body language to the way they seemed to be silent had others think they were refugees.

The lone man of the group was a fair skinned tall man standing six ft and two inches, he had waist length spiky white hair and red lines below his black eyes. He wore a red haori with two gold circles on the front, with green colored kimono shirt and matching pants, black belt, and geta. Underneath his top and pants he wore mesh armor and had hand guards, hanging on his back was a large scroll. This was Jiraiya, the Toad Sage. A man revered throughout the elemental Nations for not only his ninja skills but also his novels. Though the same novels created a notoriety with the women who met the author.

The first of the two females was a brown eyed busty Blond woman that was five feet and thirty-five inches with fair skin, whose hair parted in the front and the back was held in two loose pigtails and has a purple diamond on the center of her forehead. She wore a green haori, with the kanji for gamble on the back in a red circle. She also wears a gray kimono styled shirt with no sleeves, it is held closed by a large blueish gray obi, the top was left partially open to show her cleavage. She wears dark bluish gray pants that matches the obi along with heeled sandals. Also noticeable on her was her red nail polish on her fingers and toes, she also wears a green stone necklace. This is Tsunade Senju, the granddaughter of the first Hokage. She was known to be considered on of the strongest Kunoichi, or female ninja, in the world as well as one of the best medical ninjas alive. She unfortunately was also known less commonly to love to drink and gamble.

The second woman looked slightly younger woman of five feet and five inches and slender build, she had black straight hair along with black eyes and also had fair skin. She wears a bluish-black kimono with white trim held closed by a white obi and open-toed sandals with a low heel, mesh armored. This woman was Shizune, known to be the apprentice of Tsunade, right now she was carrying TonTon, the vest wearing pet pig. She puts up with Tsunade's vices and tries to help her overcome her past and bitter loss she has endured in her long life.

As the group arrives to the gates Jiraiya turns to the guards, while waving to the group behind him before saying, "No need to be alarmed, this group is a group of refugees that we happened to find. We need to get to the Hokage to tell him urgent news and the group needs an area to settle and rest from their journey."

Though the guards knew there must be a story behind this group, they also knew the Toad Sage and Tsunade well enough that they admitted the group to enter Konoha. Upon entering citizens, civilians and shinobi alike, stopped and watched two of the sannin and apprentice lead the refugees toward the hokage tower. The crowd was gossiping and muttering sympathies to the refugees as they passed. In this crowd was two children who was watching the refugees, before catching the eyes of two of them, who seemed to be their age since they caught brief glimpses of their faces, who seemed to nod before moving on.

Of these two children, one was a blond haired boy of four feet that was fair skinned with blonde spiky hair and blue eyes. He wore a black t-shirt with a red spiral on the front over a white long sleeved shirt, brown pants and blue sandals. He also had three whisker marks on each cheek. This young boy was named Naruto Uzumaki and he had been watching the gate, having a feeling that today would bring something good in the orphans life.

The other of the two children was a young girl that was slightly taller than Naruto, she stood at four feet and two inches. She was fair skinned with dark blue hair in a short hime cut, she had lavender pupiless eyes and wore black pants with a blue shirt and black sandals. This girl is named Hinata Hyuga. She is the Hyuga heiress and had been following Naruto, the boy who saved her two years ago from bullies. She saw despite the villagers treatment of the boy or how he struggled, Naruto never gave up and kept training and striving to be better. This inspired the young girl and she wanted to be like him and become friends. Even developing a secret crush on the boy, a secret many knew despite not telling anyone. She watched as Naruto seemed to follow the group and decided that she would as well, if only to be able to help Naruto if he ended up in trouble.

Upon arriving at the Hokage tower, the group became two groups. The two groups consisted of the two sannin, the head of the refugees with an advisor, and two kids who knew other information on the events that led to this. This group would meet with the hokage not only to seek asylum, but also to tell their story and alert the leader of the village to the tragedy beyond their borders. The second group was lead by Shizune who reassured the refugees that nothing bad would happen and lead them to a secluded area to give them some privacy and rest. While on the way she flagged down anbu and recruited them to help protect the group, though they doubted it would be needed.

In the Hokage's office the Sandaime Hokage, or third fire shadow, was sitting at his desk doing his paperwork while smoking his trademarked pipe. The sandaime Hokage was an old man with tanned skin and gray hair with a goatee. He has three lines stretching to his cheek and a mole on his nose, he wears the traditional outfit for the hokage, a red full length kimono that is tied with a white obi wears a white haori. His his name was Hiruzen Sarutobi, besides being the third hokage he was also the clan head of the Sarutobi clan. When he finished off writing on a sheet he took a second to breath only to hear a knock on his office door, causing him to look at the door curious to what was going on.

"Enter" Hiruzen said, wanting a distraction from the paperwork that haunted his waking dreams. His secretary entered, his secretary was a slim woman of average height with black hair and brown eyes. She bowed to the hokage before saying, "My apologies Hokage-sama, but your Jiraiya-sama and Tsunade-sama are here with a few people saying that it was of utmost importance that they talk with you as soon as possible."

"I see, interesting" Hiruzen said in contemplation, before nodding and continuing, " please send them in."

"Yes Sandaime-sama", the secretary said before sending the group into the office. As the group gathered, Hiruzen smiled seeing his two beloved students. However the looks on their faces, told him that something dire had happened, despite the small smiles they sent him to let him know they were happy to see him. He looked at the five people that had entered with his two students and could tell that two of them were just kids, since the hooded cloaks covered most of their features he couldn't see them.

"Jiraiya-kun, Tsunade-chan I am glad to see you both. Please tell me what is so troubling and introduce your guests here." Hiruzen asked of his students.

"Sensei, these.." Jiraiya began as he motioned the hooded figures to remove their hoods and he continued when he saw them doing so, "are Gengetsu Hozuki, the grandson after said man who was the second Mizukage. He is joined with his Wife Katsumi Hozuki and their son Shingetsu Hozuki." he started while said family stepped forward to be seen by all.

Gengetsu was a fair skinned man with brown hair and green eyes, he was six foot one. His clothes hidden by the brown cloaks they had traveled in. Meanwhile his wife Katsumi, had brown hair and brown eyes, she was fair skinned and had long hair. Her figure and clothes also hidden by the cloak. Their son Shingetsu was four feet two inches, he was fair skinned and had brown hair and dark green eyes. Shingetsu had moved so his cloak with silver clasps revealed a Dark blue short sleeved Tunic, Mesh armor with another tunic, except this one was a long sleeved green tunic. He had a brown obi and black shinobi pants, with black closed-toed boots.

"While this is Raiden Ringo, Son of Ameyuri Ringo, and his daughter Hikari Ringo." Jiraiya continued motioning to the second family who then stepped forward. Raiden was fair skinned, had short brown hair and brown eyes, and he was six feet tall. He had walked up to Gengetsu and his cloak, like the others so far had covered his clothes. His daughter Hikari stepped up beside Shingetsu and looked nervous. Hikari was fair skinned and was four feet two standing the same height as Shingetsu. She had Long brown hair, that reached to her mid back, and had strikingly crimson eyes, which although he could see the anxiety, could tell she wasn't afraid. Her cloak was opened and like Shingetsu, her cloak had silver clasps, underneath she wore dual tunics with mesh armor between, the top tunic which was sleeveless is green and the the long sleeved tunic under the mesh armor was Dark Blue, with a red belt and black shinobi pants and black closed-toe boots.

"Sarutobi-sensei, they have come here with dire news." Tsunade finished for Jiraiya, wanting to move this along. Jiraiya wanted to pout, but he knew that this group wouldn't react well to it, as if he would make light of this situation. He wasn't an idiot and he wasn't heartless.

"Very well, please tell me the news Gengetsu-san, and if I may I will help in anyway I can." Hiruzen stated with an encouraging smile directed towards said man, who nodded. Gengetsu took a calming breath and organized his thoughts one final time.

"Hokage-sama, as I am sure you have heard, Kiri is in the middle of a civil war." Gengetsu started and continued when he saw the Hokage nod, "However that is not the truth of the matter. It is not merely a civil war, but rather a blood-line purge." Gengetsu let the bomb drop and saw the shocked and horrified look appear on the aged Hokage's face.


	2. Meeting the Hokage and New Friends

Authors Note:

**Hello everyone, so I am a day late in posting this chapter, however I will always post by midnight on Tuesday. The only times I wont post on that day every week is if emergencies or a change in my work schedule happens. I wanted to thank you all for your interest in the story and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. I will answer reviews in this section or even a Q and A every so often.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Final Fantasy, or anything else. I thought up these Original characters to work in any setting. They are only modified for the universe they are in.**

**Chapter 2: Revelation and meetings**

**Last time:**

**"Hokage-sama, as I am sure you have heard, Kiri is in the middle of a civil war." Gengetsu started and continued when he saw the Hokage nod, "However that is not the truth of the matter. It is not merely a civil war, but rather a blood-line purge." Gengetsu let the bomb drop and saw the shocked and horrified look appear on the aged Hokage's face.**

**Currently:**

"What?!" Hiruzen, the Sandaime Hokage, once revered as not only God of the Shinobi and as the Professor, was at a loss of words. How could they try to start genocide on the innocent? There was so many logical flaws that he wanted to laugh, thinking the man in front of him was joking. However he knew otherwise, the man before him wouldn't have lead his people here for anything less than a life or death situation. So organizing his questions he would move to solve this. "How did this come about? Why would they do this?" He asked hoping for a concise answer.

"Three and a half years ago, a war seeking clan invaded Kiri and started a revolution. Although probably almost all of the Kaguya clan perished, the people of the hidden mist village were resentful and mistrustful of those who had kekki genkai. They even held the same hate for those who had hiden and even regular clans. The villagers, civilians and shinobi alike treated us like we were criminals and tensions rose." Gengetsu started explaining, sighing at the memories.

He defended the civilians and shinobi along with the Ringo family and the other clans. However it changed nothing, and to make matters worse Shingetsu had taken his first life when a stray kaguya member found their way into the Hozuki compound. His son had picked up the sword and struck before the man knew what was going on, his training and the grown Kaguya clan man had underestimated the four year old.. Though that was no surprise, his son was considered a prodigy with his sword, having been a natural with a sword at four years old. Just a year younger than most in the mist when they began kenjutsu training.

Coming back to present, Gengetsu decided to continue explaining the situation saying, "They treated us like freaks, calling us monsters and even demons. The Mizukage, had been able to keep the peace, barely. However one day he called for an announcement and then in front of our very eyes we saw him declare that we were banished from the mist and wouldn't protect us anymore." He finished and squeezed Katsumi's hand to comfort her, hoping that despite these years of anguish that they could find peace.

The reactions to the story varied, Shingetsu had known the Mizukage and had actually talked with him shortly beforehand. Shingetsu was surprised from the announcement because when they had spoken the Mizukage was friendly. Hikari was thinking back to three years ago when she saw Shingetsu talking with their young leader and even discussed different books they had read together. She was shocked that it turned out this way and felt furious at the betrayal her best friend took. They had always been close and she would provide comfort for him. Meanwhile the other adults who remembered all this, they knew after this they would eventually have to explain the events to the younger kids among their children's generation.

Hiruzen though, he was severely confused and even more than that he was appalled by the turn of events. 'Just because they have kekki genkai, that makes them evil? That makes no sense, although thinking about it...the nation lost not only their sense of safety, as well as loved ones. Sometimes it can breed irrational hate and aggression.' Hiruzen thought as a blond haired,blue eyed whiskered face popped into his mind, smiling despite the treatment he endured. He considered deeply and carefully what to do about not only the bloodline purge, but also the refugees. 'I do not know how things got this way, however they can find sanctuary here. I will need to brief the council, however as hokage I alone have the final word.' Hiruzen thought wearily, the council was just his advisors and sometimes the clan heads or civilians.

The clan heads would only be involved in discussions that directly impacted the shinobi of the village or their clans, they had no power and would offer advice. He even had a group of representatives for the civilians, called the civilian council. They were only ever brought in for matters that directly impact the non-shinobi villagers, they also had no power. However unlike the clan heads making the shinobi council, the civilians would seek to find a foot hold to be involved in major discussions to create change in their own twisted plans. They had already achieved a few things, however they knew they couldn't move openly as of yet..

"Is there anything else you can tell me, anything that you might not believe to be consequential?" Hiruzen asked jotting down some notes and questions to bring up. However to his surprise, without any prompting Shingetsu stepped forward to report.

"Hokage-sama, I was the one who spent time with Kagura-sama, the Yondaime Mizukage before he announced his support of the purge." The boy stated to the kage's shock, he had expected one of the parents or even another adult clan member to have more detailed knowledge, however the young Hozuki seemingly knew the most about the Mizukage. Shingetsu took a breath and continued saying, "Yagura-sama, seemed exasperated with dealing with the tension in his village and wanted to mend the wound. However, a few days later he seemed over taken by hate for anyone with kekki genkai or even hiden. Either he had been hiding his real feelings or intentions to our side, or..." Shingetsu trailed off softly. The others in the room looking at him in concern.

"Or?" Hiruzen gently prodded, he could see the boy had been hurt by the betrayal of his leader, but he also knew that they needed to get all the information they had. If for no other reason then to understand and put together a strategy for dealing with this conflict.

Shingetsu wanted nothing more than to get this over with, everything since the announcement had been pure hell. There were indeed good moments, however he barely had time to accept his first kill before being sentenced to death due to the purge. The training from his clan and even his second family outside of the clan and friends, had been hellish as well. During the five years they spent trapped there in perpetual battle and the tense periods of down time had frayed his nerves. The things they had to do to survive, all the death and the blood on their hands. He could feel himself down spiraling and zoning out and before he could, he felt some one squeezing his hand.

Shocked back into reality, he saw Hikari's concerned expression, he smiled softly letting her know he was ok and in thanks for helping. Turning back to the Hokage and ignoring everything else, he dug deep to steel his resolve. He continued by saying, "I think he was being controlled some how. I know that sounds rather...irrational. However, just days before he was expressing hope for change and peace. Then he was advocating for the eradication of the very people he wanted to save? That doesn't sound like it was a natural development."

His words seemed to cause the others to be more concerned about the boy. It was obvious he believed Kagura to be a good person underneath it all. However he was also betrayed and hurting, desperately clinging to anything that would prove that he wasn't just blind. However they were intrigued by his theory and they all could agree that it was strange at the very least. However there was no proof and those that had been in the village during those tense days didn't know if they could believe it. Hikari wanted to support Shingetsu in his belief, wanted him to be right that some one he trusted was not pure evil.

For the moment Hiruzen decided to figure it out later, he was interested in and sorting out the cause. However he knew they could discuss this later, for now he needed to know the make up of the refugees of Kiri. How many different clans had come together, what did they intend to do now? They could stay here, provided they take an oath and agreed to be kept under surveillance for a period of time. However he couldn't have them sleeping on the streets and the hotels wouldn't be advisable either, considering they probably barely escaped with what they had with them. No he wanted to figure out this matter first and then they could sort out the truth of the purge.

So taking a deep breath, Hiruzen turned to Gengetsu since he was the representative of the refugees and said, "We will have time to sort out the truth later. However for now let's focus on the current situation." he paused for a moment considering his next words. He continued after taking a breath by asking, "Gengetsu-san, can you please tell me about your group of refugees and the demographics of said group?"

Gengetsu nodded and took a moment to think, there had been a lot of refugees that came with them. They were certainly 200 people they smuggled out and they were resting in a nearby training ground, protected by anbu. He wanted to get things sorted and find a place they could all rest and feel safe for the first time in months. Taking a breath he said, "Hokage-sama, there are over 200 of us. There are well over a hundred Hozuki, eight from the Ringo family, several small families and clans that held kekki genkai such as boil release."

Nodding Hiruzen considered what to do and asked the leader, "How should we resolve this? You could find apartments or houses in the residential sector of the village. I am sure some of the clans could even get loans for compounds if they so choose."

"Actually Hokage-sama, I have an idea on how to settle this." Gengetsu said after thinking it over for a few moments. He continued by saying, "I think that all us, refugees, would like to stay together. If we could buy some land near one of the clans to build a compound allowing for the size of our group, that would be best. After all, we spent so much time living and fighting together, we aren't just bonded by the situation anymore, we have become much more than friends. All of the families and clans have become in a sense a family." Gengetsu smiled when he saw Katsumi, his wife, and Raiden, his long time friend nod in support of his idea. In fact not only did they nod, but Hikari smiled and Tsunade and Jiraiya gave their support as well. The only one who seemingly didn't react was Shingetsu, who was trying to do some simple calculations in his head and putting together ideas to make sure the compound was comfortable for every one.

Hiruzen took a drag from his pipe as he thought on this proposal. As he made up his mind, he exhaled and smiled, saying "Yes, that's a fine idea. Well let's take a look at a property map of the village and figure this out."

Hours later Gengetsu and the others stood waiting in the hallway smiling and discussing in hushed whispers what they would do after they settled in. They were waiting for the two sannin who was in the office having a conversation with the Hokage. Hiruzen staring at his students and decided to get the truth of their presence now. After taking another drag from he asked, "Tsunade-chan, why are you here? You wouldn't have returned unless it was extremely important, weren't those your words?"

Tsunade sighed and looked at her sensei with a pained look and said, "Yes, unfortunately I still had some grieving to do. You see I'm here because Jiraiya had brought Shingetsu-kun to me. He was badly injured as were many of the others." Tsunade looked down in disappointment at her self, before sighing and continuing by saying, "At first I decided to refuse, but then when they had started walking away, Hikari-chan pleaded for my help. This didn't really sway me, but Shizune started healing them, it was then Jiraiya had approached me and told me something that shifted my entire world upside down."

Hiruzen wasn't shocked that she didn't help as Jiraiya mentioned it to him on a status update on Tsunade. He was concerned about her, she had lost so much in her life. First her grandfather, then her uncle and grand mother. Years later it would continue with losing her beloved younger brother and then years later with her lover Dan. She had left the village and stopped practicing medicine, the only fact that kept her from spiraling out of control was that her clan was still alive in Konoha. While concerned he turned to Jiraiya and asked, "What did you say to her? How did you get her to not only help, but to return to the village?"

Jiraiya looked from Tsunade to his sensei and said, "It was pretty easy with the intel I had on the refugees. You see the fact that her clan needed her in the village did help as it was still family, however it was when she learned of closer family in the village as well as some of the refugees were actually Uzumaki that fled from Uzushiogakure during the attack." After he finished he heard something clatter on the Hokage's desk. He saw his sensei dropped his pipe, his eyes wide open and his jaw dropped in shock.

"Wait, if they survived why didn't they come to Konoha or at the very least reach out?" Hiruzen asked after a moment. Before either could answer he continued, "Also why would they go with one of the nations that had attacked them? Kiri would have killed them, why would they risk that?"

Jiraiya sighed and rubbed the back of his head in exasperation, before saying "Well...They thought we had abandoned them to die. As for Kiri, we found out that Kiri hadn't actually attacked. Instead it was disguised shinobi in outfits provided to them by rogue Kiri ninja. From what they had explained to me, they were going to reach out but the last war prevented that and then with the purge they didn't have time."

"That is quite sad to hear, I just wish we could have done more for our old friends." Hiruzen said and looked down in shame. During the attack on Uzushiogakure, they were dealing with pressure from Iwagakure, the hidden stone village. The following war was devastating to all parties involved and with the supposed eradication of the Uzumaki clan, the wounds ran deep. Now they had a chance to help and once again he thought of a blonde haired boy and knew that this was his chance to help him once and for all. His confidence rising, he said, "We will help them and the other refugees, I entrust the two of you to help them with anything they need. I will also send along some of my own clan members and others that can help build the compound we have discussed. As for the cost, I am going to lower all costs they need to pay. These people have suffered enough and since the Uzumaki are residing together with them then we shall provide compensation for our old and new allies."

His two students could only smile and nod, agreeing with the gesture, however they would also help not only with construction and integration, but with the cost as well. Besides they had a special commitment with this new venture. Though Tsunade wouldn't live in the compound she would give them the extra land by the Senju compound. Jiraiya on the other hand would seek out Naruto and bring him to the new compound after discussing who he was and getting to know the boy. The three continued their conversation for another hour and a half, before the two sannin left and lead their charges back to the others. No matter what happened now Konoha and the world were in for major changes.

It was on the way back to training ground four that Shingetsu stopped and turned towards a tree with a deadpan look on his face before saying, "I can sense you, come out and please explain why you are following us."

This shocked Hikari, but not the others, mainly since Hikari had been deep in thought about how things would change now that they could relax a bit and integrate into the village and their new life. However from the cover of the tree two kids walked out, one a blue eyed blonde boy with spiky hair and the other a lavender eyed girl with dark blue hair. They also had been clearly shocked, even though they didn't know that even Naruto didn't know Hinata had been there. He had rather excitedly followed the refugees and he wanted to meet the only other people that didn't glare at him and acknowledged his existence.

"How did you know we were there?" Naruto asked, with Hinata nodding her head in agreement. Once again missing out on the fact that Naruto had ignored being followed.

"I could sense you, while you have a good grasp on stealth, but I could sense your chakra." Shingetsu explained still cautious around them, despite also feeling he could trust these two. His words however did shock Naruto and Hinata, as well as the others with him. They never knew he was a sensor type. It did make sense though when those that had been around him thought about how he didn't flinch or react to seemingly random things occurring around them. He brought everyone back by clearing his throat before asking, " Who are you two and why are you following us?"

The blonde stepped forward and exclaimed, "I am Naruto Uzumaki, future hokage!". However Naruto's words shocked the group, except Jiraiya who smiled at the boy. He meant to go looking for him later, but this opportunity was just too good to pass up. Tsunade was looking the boy over and noticed how familiar he looked, then looked at Jiraiya questioningly since she felt like she was left out on important information. Gengetsu and his group was shocked and then despite wanting proof before letting go that claim, they would ask him once things calmed down. Hikari looked at the boy then at her best friend repeatedly fearing this would some how get out of control.

Hinata stepped forward and bowed slightly, "I-I am Hinata Hyuga, I-I am s-so sorry. I was curious and wanted to meet y-you, but I-I am rather shy" she explained while blushing slightly, feeling embarrassed at the way the situation ended up.

"It's ok Hinata-san, and what about you Naruto-san?" Hikari asked while stepping up beside Shingetsu.

"More than anything I wanted to meet you two and ask, why did you smile at me?" Naruto asked, not used to anything besides being ignored and spoken about in whispers that he could hear.

"It's because you two weren't judging us." Shingetsu explained, this confused Naruto, but the others understood. Before Naruto could ask for an explanation Shingetsu smiled slightly before saying, "True you were curious about us, but the other people seemed to be spreading rumors almost the instant they saw us. Instead you followed us to the Hokage Tower and then all the way out here to get to know us? If that is true than I would be glad to meet you Naruto-san".

Naruto smiled, he was getting to meet people and possibly make friends. His joy only increased when he saw the smiles on the adults faces, it seemed he finally found some acceptance outside of the Hokage and a few others including Hinata, unbeknownst to Naruto.

Katsumi decided to take charge of the situation now, and approached the four kids with a gentle smile on her face. She looked at them and said, "Hello Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan, my name is Katsumi Hozuki. The man with green eyes and brown hair is my husband Gengetsu and this," she gestures first from Gengetsu then to her son. She then continued by saying, "This is Shingetsu-kun, my son with his best friend Hikari-chan. Her father the other man behind me with brown hair and eyes, is her father Raiden Ringo. The man with the white hair is Jiraiya the Toad Sage and next time him is Tsunade Senju."

Katsumi finished introducing as said people either nodded or bowed to the two. Katsumi then said, "If you two want to get to know Shingetsu-kun and Hikari-chan, then you should come with us. We are going to meet up with the others who came with us, I am sure they would love to meet you both." Katsumi said and although her soft and kind voice put the kids at east, those men who knew the tone she was using, knew that if this was some one claiming to be something they weren't and trying to drag the Uzumaki name in the mud, then people would pay. Though she wouldn't hurt Naruto. Katsumi would try to avoid that at all costs, though sometimes in this profession, she didn't have a choice.

Naruto nodded his head quickly as did Hinata and walked up to Hikari and Shingetsu, Katsumi rejoined the rest of the adults and held a quiet conversation and started walking. The kids were following behind them talking.

"Really, you guys are the same age as us?" asked Naruto who like Hinata was excited at the possibility of learning more about their new friends. After Shingetsu nodded, Naruto asked, "What do the two of you like to do for fun?"

Hikari smiled, "Well, we train a lot in many different areas. However other than training, Shingetsu likes to cook and we both enjoy spending time together" she answered for Shingetsu, who fell into the old habit with Hikari of trading sentences. Though he thought she gave a very simplified answer, partially because she didn't really list anything she enjoyed.

"Training? A-are the two of you tr-training to be shinobi?" Hinata asked while looking at Hikari.

"Yes, though we have been training quite differently than most do. You see we train with our families together, they teach us various things. From taijutsu and weapon training to basic ninjutsu to family specialty jutsu." Shingetsu explained taking the question most likely aimed at Hikari, who smiled and nodded to Hinata.

Naruto was taken back by this, he was excited to meet another person aspiring to be a ninja, but again he met some one who had a family. Something he always wanted, he really wanted to train with his new friends even more than before. The thought struck him and he decided to ask, "Would it be alright if I joined you for training?"

Hikari and Shingetsu traded looks before he shrugged and she smiles nodding her head and said, "Sure, you can as well if you want Hinata-san. We would love to train with you both.". However, when she wasn't looking Shingetsu looked at her wondering what she was doing, while he wanted to train with them both he felt that there was something about the subtext of the answer.

However he couldn't ponder about it as Hinata smiled and said, "I-I would love t-to. Th-though I would ha-have to ask m-my father." That thought would have filled Hinata with dread, but she seemingly made two new friends and could spend time with Naruto which to her was an amazing opportunity that she just couldn't turn down.

"Would you two like to be our friends? I just realized we never asked." Shingetsu spoke up realizing that they indeed just kind of fell into thinking and feeling like they had made friends, still he was cautiously optimistic.

"Y-you really want to be friends?" Naruto asked shocked, while he did know they weren't from here, he did not know if they wanted to be friends and was too nervous to ask.

"Of course, we would be happy to call you both our friends." Hikari said smiling at Naruto and Hinata.

"Y-yes I would like to be friends with all of you...if you want" Hinata answered, she was hopeful that they all could become lifelong friends.

"I would too," Naruto said, he was excited because he had no one and now he had at least three friends. He only hoped they would remain his friends, he knew the villagers would tell them that it would be best to avoid him. He didn't know why his life was like this and it hurt to know that everyone seemed to despise him. However, he could only hope that things would be different this time.

Hearing the kids, the adults smiled and continued leading the group to the training grounds. The deal they worked out with Hiruzen was that they would camp out on this training ground until their new home was built. As they saw their friends and family in the distance, they each hoped that the future would get better for all of them.

** I finally got the second chapter typed out. So we learned about the purge in this chapter as well as some theories to why it happened. Then we learned that two hundred refugees came to Konoha, please pause and hold that thought for a moment. Next we learned that Tsunade was brought out of her spiral by family and some other reasons yet revealed. In the next chapter we get to see Naruto meet his family and learn the truth of his clan. Then a slight time skip to the compound being completed and start the academy mini arc, thus completing the introduction mini arc. I want to show that when we reach into when the cannon started that things are majorly different already. For starters, there will be a lot more graduates as we realize that Konoha is a major power in the Elemental Nations and that Iruka is not the only teacher in the academy. Also all the characters in Iruka's classroom will be named, though they will fade into the background with occasional appearances.**

**Now as for the large number of refugees, I was contemplating the amount of people displaced by the purge and felt that since the country was split in half, there were bound to be several groups that would just leave. Thus they came with Gengetsu and his group, also the Uzumaki surviving the invasion. When I thought about Uzushiogakure, I felt we missed out on a great opportunity with the Uzumaki in cannon, don't worry though. The story wont be flooded by them, they are still just background in the story, with plenty of chances to shine though. We also wont be over powering the Uchiha and what happened to the Senju was never mentioned in cannon. Just that Tsunade was the last one. In this story, there are still a good bit of Senju remaining and now we get a reunion of two clans, Naruto will have a family and we get to see more of these wasted opportunities from cannon. Please bear with me as the introduction arc is in full swing.**


	3. Family

**Author's Note: I am late, I know but for good reason. My schedule has been crazy and I started converting my written version to word document late Tuesday night and finished just now. I will post two chapters by Tuesday to make up for being late if I can.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.**

**Chapter 3: Family**

While Naruto and the others were walking to training ground four, the rest of the refugees had transformed their temporary home into a camping ground. Some of the refugees had erected stone walls and doorways, upon which they laid fabric. In this fashion, they erected a massive tent to make sure they could fit two hundred people in it. They would be cramped, but they figured that they could deal with this for a while longer. The different sections and areas being organized so the kids could sleep near their immediate family. In the direct middle of training ground four, a fire pit was being set up, they would use this pit to place a pot to cook their food.

Shizune had been busy helping set up the tent, the fire pit, and securing groceries for the group. She wasn't surprised by the group anymore, but still, she never saw a group pull together like this before. During her time helping, she saw the look in the eyes of the refugees. They looked worried and some looked defeated and thought, ' I wish I could help them, but nothing I say would help. Hopefully when Lady Tsunade and Lord Jiraiya get back things will get better'.

As she thought, the refugees were worrying as they were working, worrying about what would happen now. Would they be separated? While some thought so, most if not all of them hoped that they would stay together. Would they be safe here, if not where would they go? They needed not only a permanent home but to be accepted. After all the discrimination they had faced, which later turned murderous intent, they were worried it would happen again. Though the adult refugees were worrying, the kids were excited. Most had lived their entire lives in the Village Hidden in the Mist, so they were not used to clear, warm weather for more than a season. Not only that, but the forest just begging to be explored. In short, the views on their situation was mixed among the refugees.

A short while later and Naruto and the others arrived at the training ground and they were surprised, sure tents and a campfire or fire pit was expected. What they did not expect was the massive tent, nearly taking up the entire training ground. Though they could see a clear path to the fire pit, where a pot was set up over a fire.

During their walk over Naruto and Hinata were invited to dinner, which they accepted. Though they were curious about what lead to them taking refuge here, they knew it probably wasn't something to ask about. Once they reached the area, the adults moved away. They told the kids that they had to gather everyone to organize dinner and discuss the meeting they just had with the heads of different families and clans. So during this time Naruto, Hinata, Hikari, and Shingetsu decided that they would get to know each other better.

"Are you two planning on entering the academy?" Naruto asked, hoping that they could be in his class. It would be nice to have friends in the class, although he was happy that now he could talk with Hinata.

"Yes, though we hope that we can keep up" Hikari answered looking worried, though she knew that the skill section wouldn't be too much of an issue thanks to their training. She was worried since they didn't know much about the Leaf Village. The only common knowledge that they learned during their time in the Mist was the Leaf Village's Hokage, clans, laws, and interactions between the two villages.

"W-well, I-I can help you both learn what you need. If you want to that is." Hinata offered politely.

"Yeah and we can train together to make sure you can keep up!" Naruto excited backed up Hinata, though to some it could sound a bit cocky.

"Thank you, we both accept. It would be bad if we fell too far behind. Though Naruto, if it's a spar you want I will be glad to take you on." Shingetsu replied at first just politely and then with a smirk towards the blonde. When he answered Hikari turned to look at him, she noticed that he was staring towards the campfire which is where they would cook everyone's food tonight. When she turned back she saw Naruto and Shingetsu looking at each other smirking and seemingly ready to fight.

So shaking her head, Hikari turns to Naruto and asks, "Can it wait till later? I don't think a fight is going to help anyone right now.". Naruto and Shingetsu immediately felt ashamed at picking a fight before things were settled and nodded in silent apology.

The two girls wanted to laugh at their behavior, Naruto and Shingetsu seemingly fell into an instinctual friendship.

**Flashback to Earlier**

"Do any of you like ramen?" Naruto asked, trying to make small talk as they walked to training ground four.

"I never had ramen before, though we had ramen stands in Kirigakure no Sato. I just rather have grilled fresh fish and rice with green tea." Shingetsu answered as he remembered the various freshwater and saltwater fish that were available in his old home. Since he wasn't paying attention to Naruto, he didn't see the boy stop and stare at Shingetsu's back incredulously. He also didn't see Hinata and Hikari looking between the two worriedly.

"Never had ramen?! What do you mean, you never had ramen before?!" Naruto exclaimed, he was going to chase after Shingetsu but was too stunned to move.

"Well, there wasn't a lot of time between training with the clan and with my old master," Shingetsu said before he turned to Naruto with a small smile and said, "After class tomorrow let's get ramen."

"Right, first Ichiraku's ramen and then training!" Naruto exclaimed happily, easily agreeing with his new friend. "I have never had green tea before though," he said and walked up to Shingetsu who turned and started walking again with Naruto.

"I'll make some when we take a break during training, it will be a nice and we could trade notes on our training results," Shingetsu replied conversationally, not noticing the surprised but happy looks on Hikari and Hinata.

"I've never seen Shingetsu hold a conversation with anyone that either isn't considered family or me," Hikari said. She was happy for Shingetsu, but it surprised her. Hinata was also surprised, Naruto would start fights over ramen. So it was a surprise to see him compromise and move on like that.

"I think things will be interesting for a while, let's catch up to them," Hinata said and smiled over at Hikari before they tried to catch up to the boys.

**Training Ground Four, Present time**

"Well as much as I would love to stay and talk some more, I think I am needed to help with dinner," Shingetsu said before walking off to the campfire.

"He knows how to cook?" Naruto asked he didn't know that Shingetsu even knew how to cook.

"Yes, he learned how to cook when he was pretty young," Hikari answered thinking back to all the mistakes and then the good meals he learned to make. She continued by saying, "His mother helped him at first, but he decided to visit certain restaurants when we weren't looking. He can make some good food, but still has a bit of work to do...or so he says."

'Except for getting training by chefs, that sounds like when mother taught me.' Hinata thought and was taken back to memories of her mother teaching her how to cook. Though her mother was gone now, she still had help from certain members of the branch family. Hinata turned to watch Shingetsu walk away before she wondered, 'could we trade recipes or advice?' However after thinking that she heard laughter and saw Naruto and Hikari laughing and asked, "What's so funny?"

"Oh nothing Hinata-chan," Hikari said, getting her laughter under control. She smiled slyly as she said, "I am sure he would like to trade recipes or advice though Hinata-chan."

Hinata was surprised, how had they known what she was thinking and then it hit her as she asked, "Did I say that out loud?". When Hikari nodded, Hinata felt embarrassed and blushed lightly. Hinata knew they didn't mean anything by it, but she was still embarrassed

"It's ok Hinata-chan, we are only messing with you." Naruto said before turning to Hikari and asked, "Is it ok for us to stay for dinner and the discussion between everyone?"

"Yeah, you both were invited and besides, it would be easier for you both to understand the situation going forward," Hikari explained while nodding. She was sure that the less they had to explain right now, the better. Besides they had sent a messenger to Hinata's father to make sure he knew where she was.

They then continued talked about how they were excited for class tomorrow and meeting new people. The conversation continued for a while before they were called for dinner. They turned and went off towards the campfire to join the others.

**Time Skip After Dinner**

Dinner had been a good stew, Shingetsu had worked together with five other refugees cutting all the vegetables and meat Shizune bought. Katsumi, Shingetsu's mother, decided the spices and what to use earlier so it was simply preparing for the meal and cooking it. Now we rejoin Naruto and the others gathered around the still-burning fire with Gengetsu and Jiraiya standing before everyone. Those two would explain what everyone needed to know and catch up Naruto and Hinata, so they would know the explanation.

"Alright, I need everyone's attention!" Gengetsu said loudly getting everyone's attention. He started by saying, "Our meeting with the Hokage was a success, we are going to be staying in the village. We will have to stay on this training ground for a while, at least until a compound we all can call him is built."

So far everything seemed to be going well, the refugees seemed excited for staying together and to have a new home. Gengetsu continued by saying, "Now we have two hundred people to house and we will get sleeping arrangements sorted, but the compound will be three large buildings built around a central point. That central point will be the kitchen and dining hall. we will be sharing the kitchen and if you prefer we can eat together like this again. We will have a training ground on-premises, however, we are responsible for up keeping it."

To all the refugees it sounded wonderful so far and they didn't know everything yet, so everyone was cautiously optimistic. It surprised Hinata and Naruto to learn about the compound, but they were happy for everyone.

"The compound will be beside the Senju compound, we all will be neighbors," Tsunade said, interjecting some more details into the explanation. She continued by saying, "We, the Senju's, will always be there for not only our cousin clan but for our new friends as well."

Tsunade had shocked the group, she wanted to explain further but thought it needed to wait since Naruto and Hinata didn't know about the Uzumaki Clan. It would be best to explain it to them in private and not have the outburst they were dreading. At the same time, the clan didn't know about Naruto. There was a bright side though, Naruto had gotten the ball rolling by announcing his name to Shingetsu's family and Hikari. They would learn the truth soon enough, though Gengetsu, Katsumi, and Raiden learned the partial truth about Naruto already.

"That is not all, however, thanks to Shingetsu," Jiraiya said and then motioned to said boy, before continuing by saying, "The compound will have its private hot spring and a dojo to the side of the training field."

Shingetsu felt uncomfortable when everyone turned to the boy, appreciation unspoken but easily seen. Hikari smiled at the sight, wanting to tease her friend even though she can't right now. Meanwhile, Naruto and Hinata were surprised by the features of the compound and wondered briefly how they would afford it. Which is exactly what occurred to the rest of the assembled group.

"How can we afford this Gengetsu-sama?" a red-haired woman asked. While they weren't poor, they had to leave a lot of their possessions and money back in their old village.

"Well, we will have to pool our money together and get a loan," Gengetsu explained and many did understand his point, however even he was worried about how long they would be in debt. He continued by saying, "I know this is sudden and we just sprung this on you, however, we will make it through this together. Will you stand beside me, my friends?"

"Of course, we will Gengetsu-sama" was the shouted answer from the refugees and this surprised Naruto and everyone else. Even Gengetsu was surprised and as he went to thank them for their dedication when...

A loud bang caught everyone's attention and they turned to find Jiraiya who had a balloon falling from his hand, torn to shreds. He smiled at everyone and said, "There will be no need for a loan, Tsunade and I have talked it over with the Hokage and we will cover the rest of the cost. You all suffered and struggled in an impossible situation for a long time. We want to ease your troubles and besides, we owe an old ally compensation, compensation for not being able to help them during the last war."

Excluding Tsunade and Jiraiya, everyone else was shocked. No one even knew how to respond, other than frantically thank both of the sannin and even the Hokage himself. Not only are they getting an amazing compound, but they won't be in debt and will be safe from genocidal fools who don't understand how wrong they are. Though they might not know it, both of them had forever earned the respect of everyone in attendance, especially Naruto and his group.

"Tomorrow there will be a meeting with not only the clan heads but also the Hokage's advisors. All clan heads and heads of families need to be in attendance. Meanwhile, all those wanting to enter the academy need to meet there tomorrow at 6 am so we can get you signed up and entered by the time class starts." Gengetsu explains and then ends the meeting thanking them all for their time.

Everyone started splitting off into groups to talk about what they had heard tonight, during this time Jiraiya approached Naruto, Hinata, Hikari, and Shingetsu. He motioned them to follow him and as they did, they were followed by Tsunade, Shizune, Gengetsu, and Katsumi. Jiraiya led the procession to the corner of the training grounds where there was no one around, the Anbu had been waved off so Jiraiya and Tsunade could have privacy with the group. Upon arriving at the intended destination Jiraiya stops and starts drawing seals to give them some protection, just in case. Tsunade took the time to move to Jiraiya's side, while the curious group watches. Jiraiya finishes his silencing seals and activated them forming a square barrier that silenced their conversation.

"Alright, we have something to tell you Naruto-Kun," Jiraiya starts, he was dreading this conversation. He was late, by nine years which was crushing to both the sannin when they realized what this meant. Seeing he had everyone's attention he said, "You are not some orphan without family, Naruto-kun. You come from the Uzumaki clan which was the clan that ruled over Uzushiogakure, the Village Hidden by the Whirling Tides." Jiraiya said shocking Naruto and Hinata, though it confirmed Shingetsu and his family's suspicions.

Hikari looked relieved but still worried, during their conversations Hinata explained Naruto had been an orphan, never knowing what love truly is and had grown up so far by himself. At the same time, she was concerned about how Shingetsu will react to what they were learning. Naruto was a new friend and learning that he belonged to that clan and was left alone would set off Shingetsu. However, when she looked at her best friend, he maintained a blank expression while staring at Jiraiya.

Hinata was shocked, mostly because the Uzumaki clan had never been mentioned before and she thought Naruto had been alone. It then hit her that he might still be, which worried her because she thought he deserved to have a family and be happy.

Naruto developed tunnel vision, focusing solely on Jiraiya, he had finally started hearing about any possibility that he had a family. Despite the possibility that the clan could have just abandoned him, he wanted to find out the truth and only hoped to have some family left alive.

Katsumi looked at Naruto and then to her husband who locked eyes with her and the two seemed to be communicating without words, using only their eyes. However she turned back to Tsunade and Jiraiya, she suspected there had to be more. Why they were telling the boy this? why they were allowed to be present for such a delicate conversation as this?

"What...what do you mean was?" Naruto asked Jiraiya, who felt his heart go out for the boy.

"Their village was invaded by a force consisting of Kumogakure, Iwagakure, several smaller villages, and...Kirigakure." Jiraiya paused seeing Naruto look back towards everyone behind him, then looked back expectantly. Jiraiya continued by saying, "We thought they had all died, taking down almost the entire force sent to wipe them out. However, some of the Uzumaki fled to Kirigakure, since they discovered those sent were just rogue shinobi and they were not attacked by Kiri. For years they stayed in Kirigakure staying near a few clans, then recently...they had to run from another attempt at genocide. This time Kirigakure's civilians and shinobi attempted to kill all of the people who held bloodline limits and even those who just had special hidden abilities. They fled towards this village to take refuge here."

Throughout Jiraiya's explanation there were many things that Naruto wanted to question, first was why to go to a village that wasn't their ally but decided to wait to ask. Also, hearing about his clan surviving to flee to the mist and then to this village caused Naruto to harbor hope of reuniting with family. However, he was shocked that the refugees had been through so much, Shingetsu and Hikari had never explained why they had fled. Finally, Naruto determined to speak to the clan head as soon as he could.

Hinata didn't know how to feel, the truth was so sad. Having to leave your home because of a genocidal invasion, only to have to experience another attempt from the place you sought safety from? How could they stay strong enough to keep going on, she also hoped Naruto would be accepted by the clan and meet his family. She was also worried when she saw the four that had lived through the purge flinch from the mention of it, no matter how brief and worried about her new friends.

Hikari was concerned for both her new friend Naruto and her best friend Shingetsu. One seemed to be taking it well enough and the others seemed to not react at all. Shizune felt shocked and sad for Naruto and vowed to always treat the boy well. She would treat him like a younger brother, so he could have a family even if it was extended. Gengetsu and Katsumi knew that the Uzumaki would welcome Naruto home no matter what or who tried to stop them, and Shingetsu hadn't even blinked. That was a lot to take in, and he hoped it was over, however his pleas would go unheard as Tsunade decided to step forward.

Tsunade cleared her throat gathering all eyes on her, she then said, "Now before you go chasing your clan, we still have more to tell you Naruto-kun." She paused just to make sure he was listening and seeing his nod, she continued by saying, "You see, we can't tell you who your parents are. That is due to a special law, however, what we can tell you is that you are from another clan as well.-

'Another clan?!' Was the collective thought and then something clicked for Katsumi who sighed.

"There is no easy way to say this, but Naruto-kun you are a Senju as well. You're my grandson." Tsunade admitted dropping the bomb and everyone, except Jiraiya and Katsumi, was dumbfounded by her admission. Naruto started tearing up causing the other's to worry about the boy, fearing he would be broken by all the news. Before any of them could react however Naruto launched forward and tackled Tsunade in a tight hug.

"Baa-chan!" Naruto cried into the hug, Tsunade who was shocked that he would do this just returned the hug and held onto her grandson. The others smiled at the bittersweet moment, they had heard of Tsunade's misfortune and recently learned about Naruto's. So for both of them to be reunited was a great thing, however, they knew the boy would want answers and they hoped that Tsunade would have them.

"I promise, I am not leaving you ever again Naruto-kun," Tsunade told the boy after a few moments. Naruto could feel a warmth in his chest and he didn't understand it yet, but someday he would. While everyone else seemed caught up in the sight of the reunion, Shizune decided to ask a very important question to her master.

"Lady Tsunade, if you are his grandmother, then who was his grandfather?" Shizune asked looking straight into her master's widening eyes.

The question suddenly seemed to remind everyone about the situation and Naruto separated somewhat from Tsunade so he could ask questions as well. This was an important topic for the boy, and if he got even this much he would be happy. However, he knew he would one day want to learn about his parents and figure out what had happened and hear all their stories.

While Naruto got ready, the others were reviewing the conversation so far in their thoughts. Naruto was a Senju-Uzumaki and who knew what else was yet to be revealed. They also hoped that whoever it was had a good excuse for leaving Naruto alone.

**EndNote: Again I am sorry I am late, it won't happen again. Anyway in this chapter we learned several things. 1: Naruto and Shingetsu, despite just meeting already are developing a true bond. 2:We learned the layout of the compound and that the refugees won't have to pay full price. 3: Tsunade is Naruto's grandmother and the grandfather has yet to be revealed. Now please note that the Namikaze was a name created to protect Minato in this story and thus allowing Naruto to wear Senju-Uzumaki as his name. He won't learn about his parents right now, but he will learn of his family. Original for this chapter I had intended to include the refugee's thoughts and feelings to the first day of class. However Next chapter we will get there, as well as a time skip and the answer of who his grandfather was.**


	4. Chapter 4: Explanation and Embarrassment

**Author's note: Hello everyone, I know I am a few days late, but here is the next chapter of the story. I am creating a poll as this chapter goes up and will leave it open for three chapters so please vote. Also, keep an eye out on my Forum for updates on the story. **

Chapter IV: Explanation and Embarrassment

**Last time:**

"**Lady Tsunade, if you are his grandmother, then who was his grandfather?" Shizune asked looking straight into her master's widening eyes. **

**The question suddenly seemed to remind everyone about the situation and Naruto separated somewhat from Tsunade so he could ask questions as well. This was an important topic for the boy, and if he got even this much he would be happy. However, he knew he would one day want to learn about his parents and figure out what had happened and hear all their stories. **

** While Naruto got ready, the others were reviewing the conversation so far in their thoughts. Naruto was a Senju-Uzumaki and who knew what else was yet to be revealed. They also hoped that whoever it was had a good excuse for leaving Naruto alone.**

Tsunade knew this day was coming, from the second she learned of Naruto being alive. She knew that she would have a lot of explaining to do, but she wasn't alone. She smiled and said, "Well Naruto-kun, you're grandfather is nonother than my teammate Jiraiya." When she said that everyone snapped to the Toad Sage, though they were all surprised, Shizune was the most shocked. She had been with Lady Tsunade since her uncle, Dan Kato died. However, even though they had been together for a long time, her master never told her about who was the father. She remembered all the times Jiraiya had been rejected from Tsunade and was confused by how this man was the father. For a time she thought her uncle had been the father, though she knew that couldn't be, the boy had been born long before the two started dating.

"Lady Tsunade, when did you two...umm...get together?" Shizune asked she decided to ask the question that many close enough to know the secret thought.

"Well, when we were younger Jiraiya had finally calmed down a bit with his obnoxious actions and-" Tsunade started just to be interrupted.

"Hey!" Jiraiya cut in his right eyebrow twitching before sighing and nodding for her to continue.

"Well, before I was rudely interrupted," Tsunade said before glaring lightly at Jiraiya. She continued by saying, "When he toned down his exuberant nature, we explored our friendship and eventually started dating. Near the end, we weren't exactly thinking straight and we ended up having our son. We were so young and scared, Jiraiya ran from the situation and it took a while before we reunited, by that time I had started dating another man who our son acknowledged as his stepfather." Tsunade explained, she wanted everyone to understand, they lived in more turbulent times and with all the pain, dealing with spies, invasions, the fall of Uzushiogakure, and many deaths including that of her younger brother Nawaki and her lover Dan. She had held a grudge for a long time but got over it and they recovered their close friendship as Jiraiya got the opportunity to be in his son's life.

The listeners were not sure what to think about the situation after all Jiraiya earned a lot of respect from the refugees. He had saved them and during their travels, they learned quite a bit about the Toad Sage. To Hinata and Naruto who learned about the two sages in class quite recently, they were completely surprised. They never heard of Tsunade having a child, only hearing about her being a master of medical jutsu. So the fact that Jiraiya had run away and abandoned his family left a bitter taste. Suddenly and unprompted a voice caught everyone's attention.

"It was a mistake and though like Tsunade said I did get the opportunity to raise my son together with Tsunade. I lost so much time with both of them, and when Dan died, I only was just able to keep Tsunade in the village with our son and me. Eventually, our son and his future wife were old enough and started their life together, so I went to strengthen my spy network and Tsunade and Shizune left on their journey. It's all in the past, though I know we will talk about this again in the future." Jiraiya said to help the group come to terms with the issue. Now though he needed to explain why they were not with Naruto until now.

"Listen Naruto-kun," Jiraiya started and made sure he still had his grandchild's attention. Happy that he could see those blue eyes he continued by saying, "When you were born I was on a mission to investigate rumors on Iwagakure, The Village Hidden by Rocks, was building their forces. They were the force we clashed with the most during the Third Shinobi World War, they harbor a grudge against your father so I felt I needed to check out the rumors. However, when I got a letter by a monkey sent to me by my sensei, the Third Hokage, I quickly made my way back. The letter had told me that my son, his wife, and you were killed by the Kyubi who went on a rampage and killed many people, civilian and shinobi alike. When I got here I found nothing except death and destruction, when I saw the graves of those I loved and no proof that you were alive, I left to protect the village from outside and get distance from the pain clutching my heart."

As Jiraiya finished speaking, tears had pooled in his eyes, all the time he had missed out on with his family brought forward recently buried his usual playful nature and he wanted to be there for his grandchild's life. He knew that if he had been there during the attack, things might have been different and continued to blame himself. However he now wanted to comfort and teach the boy everything he knew, so nothing could ever happen to him. The group sympathized for the man, they felt great sadness for not only his loss but Naruto's and Tsunade's as well. After all the mist refugees Gengetsu, Katsumi, Shingetsu, and Hikari all lost things in the purge. Shizune couldn't help but tear up as well, She knew how much Naruto's parents wanted him and she felt close to the couple. That along with her mistress's losses were the reason they spent so long away from the village in the first place, she didn't blame her mistress for it, though the drinking and gambling still irked her. Hinata lost her mother and she felt sympathy for those around her. While still quite innocent to the ways of the world, it was the loss of her mother that changed her world so she could only imagine what it did to those around her.

Naruto however just bowed his head against his grandmother's shoulder and felt tears spring to his eyes. He wouldn't cry and couldn't allow himself to, however, he felt dismayed that his parents were dead and his grandparents had been away. Still, he understood why they were away and he knew he couldn't blame them, but he wanted to know who lied to them and he wanted nothing more than to have them around now. So when he felt he could speak he said, "I-I understand why you both have been away, but please...don't leave me alone!" Naruto pleaded and it broke the hearts of those around him.

Tsunade tightened her hold on her grandson and nodded into his hair saying, "We will never leave you Naruto-kun. Though we may be called on missions or for other purposes, we will be here. Right Jiraiya?" Tsunade reassured Naruto as well as asking Jiraiya who came forward and patted the boys back.

"Of course, we have much to teach you and beside all that, we have a lot of time to make up for. You couldn't get rid of us even if you asked." Jiraiya joked while promising to bring a true smile on Naruto's face and making those around feeling awkward in being witnesses for this.

"By the way, Lady Tsunade, Lord Jiraiya where will Naruto-kun be staying now?" Katsumi decided to interject, she had been wondering about that since the topic was broached. She at first figured that Naruto would live with the Uzumaki clan in their part of the compound. Now though she wanted Naruto to live with his grandparents and could only hope he would.

"Well, it is up to Naruto-kun," Tsunade replied looking at Katsumi before turning to her grandson and asking, "Naruto-kun, where would you rather live, with the rest of the Uzumaki or with your grandparents and family in the Senju compound? Either way, you choose, we won't leave you or be upset and you also know that you wouldn't be far from your other family." Tsunade asked Naruto, and desperately hoped he chose the Senju compound.

Naruto smiled, knowing the answer was easy if his answer wouldn't hurt his family, and answered by saying, "With you of course Baa-chan". His answer made everyone happy, he would move in with the Senju and get to be near his family.

Hikari looked to her right side and watched Shingetsu smile before stepping forward. She wondered what he was going to say, so far the conversation had focused on Naruto's grandparents and his new living situation. What else could they have to talk about? She had no idea, however, she figured that her best friend had a few things to ask their new friend.

"Naruto, I am happy for you my friend," Shingetsu said drawing Naruto's attention to him and that of the others.

"Thank you Shingetsu, I hope we will get to train together still," Naruto said while smiling. He got out of his grandmother's arms, much to her disappointment, and offered his hand for Shingetsu to shake.

"I'd like that," Shingetsu said and instead of taking the handshake like expected, he grabbed Naruto's arm which made said boy grab Shingetsu's arm. Seeing Naruto's confusion to the odd gesture, Shingetsu smiled and said, "This is a different way to shake, one that is often shared with close allies or those considered brothers."

This surprised the others, The Leaf Shinobi and Hinata that he knew of this and the rest were surprised that he would do such a thing, they had just met after all. Hikari though surprised knew something was up, Shingetsu was someone she knew like she knew her name. He wasn't one to be emotional and was quite logical, he didn't bond easily with others and knew that he had been dreading being in this village. She was worried but hopeful that this would be a wonderful start to their new lives.

"Really?" Naruto asked his tone excited and happy.

"Yes it is an old practice, but one I find important. Naruto I have some news to share with you" Shingetsu said, making everyone even more curious.

"What is it?" Naruto asked and looked between Shingetsu and the approaching Hikari.

"You see, I am part Uzumaki as well. My great grandmother had been the one who leads the Uzumaki to Kirigakure." Shingetsu confesses to Naruto.

"What?!" Naruto exclaimed, looking at his friend who stood in front of him, he wasn't expecting that,

"So, you're like me?" Tsunade asked Shingetsu curiously before looking between Katsumi and Gengetsu. She was trying to figure out which one the Uzumaki blood came from.

"Yes he is, Shingetsu's father Gengetsu-sama is a quarter Uzumaki. However, the Clan itself sees their family as belonging to both clans equally." Hikari answered when she reached Shingetsu and smiled at Shingetsu.

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?" Hinata asked standing with the group now as well.

"I was debating on it, you see there have been people claiming to be an Uzumaki before and we needed to know whether it was true or not. However now we know because we did learn about Lady Tsunade back in Kirigakure and learned she was part Uzumaki as well so...I figured it would be ok to say now...right?" Shingetsu asked with no confidence, he had been thinking about it for a while after all and doubt crept into his thoughts.

"Yes son, that is fine," Gengetsu said reassuring his son, he now turned to the two sannin and smiled. He knew it was getting late and both groups had a busy day for tomorrow and so he said, "Well you four have to get Naruto-kun and Hinata-chan home and we need to get back and find our spots in the tent tonight. So we'll meet up here at five am?" He asked the two sannin.

"You're right, we have an early start tomorrow and we have to make a training schedule for the kids anyway," Jiraiya said agreeing to the idea.

"We'll meet you here at five am." Tsunade reinforced and shook hands with Gengetsu and Katsumi before moving towards the kids.

"T-Tsunade-sama, would you mind if I come along as well?" Hinata asked she wanted to spend more time with her friends. She was a little worried she wouldn't be able to though, she also wanted to train with them but decided to ask at a later point.

"Yes you can Hinata-chan, just make sure to be ready to leave and we will pick you up at your clan's compound," Tsunade answered the girl before turning to her grandson. She smiled and said, "Come on Naruto-kun, we need to get you and Hinata-chan home."

"Yes, Baa-chan," Naruto said and grabbed her hand while smiling. He looked to his new friends and said, "I'll see you two tomorrow. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Naruto-kun, Hinata-chan, Tsunade-sama, Jiraiya-sama, and Shizune-sama," Hikari said before bowing and then waited for Shingetsu to say his goodbyes before they left for the tent.

"Goodnight everyone, be ready for tomorrow. After the academy training begins." Shingetsu said and bowed following Hikari's example and walked away with her and his parents.

"They are good kids," Jiraiya remarked as he started walking away with Tsunade, Naruto, Shizune, and Hinata.

"Yes, they are, though they still have a way to go before they can feel safe again," Tsunade responded.

**Morning at the Hokage's office**

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Gengetsu, Raiden, and several others stood outside the Hokage's office at eight am. They all had agreed to meet here last night and decided to use the three hours before the meeting to introduce each other and get to know each other. The kids were included and when the time passed, they were sent to the academy. Tsunade smiles thinking of all that has happened in the last twelve hours. Last night after leaving Training Ground Four, they walked Hinata home and once that was done, they went to Naruto's apartment and gathered all his belongings. Though the two sannin were angry at how run down the building was, they knew it was now in the past and took Naruto to the Senju compound. The next morning was very amusing.

**Flashback That Morning**

Tsunade, Jiraiya, Shizune, and Naruto picked up Hinata and met with the various clan or family heads of the refugees and of course with a blushing Shingetsu and Hikari. Though Shingetsu seemed to actively trying to ignore everyone around him, while Hikari was listening to Katsumi who was chatting with her animatedly. Tsunade could practically taste the potential to tease Shingetsu, who over the whole time they traveled seemed to not have many if any weak points to tease.

"What's going on here?" Tsunade asked once she reached the group, causing everyone's attention to go to Tsunade's group, except Shingetsu who wasn't going to give them any satisfaction.

"N-nothing L-Lady Tsunade," Hikari said quickly, though perhaps too quickly because Katsumi who had been grinning eerily for the past few hours jumped in before she or Shingetsu could explain it away.

"Now now Hikari-chan, no need to lie." Katsumi scolded in a teasing tone causing Hikari to look at Katsumi with eyes that seem to plead for her to stop teasing them. Oh, how she loved her reactions, although her son was trying admirably, she could see his blush from nearly behind the boy and the laughter from the clan and family heads behind them didn't help.

"So? Don't keep me waiting for Katsumi-chan," Tsunade asked again.

"Lady Tsunade, maybe you shouldn't tease them?" Shizune asked though she was curious about what was going on.

"Come off it Shizune, you are just as curious as I am. I can tell Hinata-chan wants to know as well." Tsunade said making both girls squeak at being caught.

"Why are Shingetsu and Hikari blushing?" Naruto asked he didn't understand the social queues yet though. Jiraiya laughed remembering a time he was as dense as his grandson.

"Naruto-kun, these two are embarrassed and did something embarrassing right Katsumi-chan?" Jiraiya asked he hoped this was funny.

"Yes Jiraiya-sama," Katsumi said and then turned to Tsunade. She continued by saying, "You see last night after you all left we all found our spots in a section of the tent. Hikari-chan and her father were in the same section as us but were separated by temporary walls and doors. This morning we found Hikari-chan cuddling with Shingetsu, this wouldn't be as funny if it was just the first time. However, this is an old habit of hers, sneaking to cuddle with her best friend. If she would have woke up first the joke probably would have ended quicker, but she slept through the first minutes of pictures and the awwing of the others. Shingetsu-kun however, was the one who had woken up and was trapped by Hikari-chan. He's long since learned that it is pointless for him to struggle or ask for help though, right Shingetsu-kun?" Katsumi laughed seeing her son twitch wanting to retort, but kept up trying to get through this with as little interaction as possible.

"You got pictures you say?" Tsunade asked she wanted to see the picture if she has it.

"Yes I do, here you go Tsunade-sama," Hikari replied before handing her the pictures she had taken of the two. The first picture shows Hikari with her arms around Shingetsu and her head on his shoulder, the blanket over them. The second one shows Shingetsu waking up and realizing where he was and the final one was him glaring at the camera while blushing.

"That's so cute Shingetsu-kun, Hikari-chan," Tsunade said while snickering.

Tsunade's words were practically echoed by Shizune and Hinata who went to Hikari and accosted the embarrassed girl. Shingetsu's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he thought, 'this was supposed to die down Not get worse!'

**With the Guys**

"Oh, so how did you do this kid?" Jiraiya smiled down to Shingetsu, while Naruto was still looking through the three pictures trying to figure out what the big deal was.

"Do you not like cuddling with Hikari-chan Shingetsu?" Naruto asked Shingetsu's head snapped at him while glaring lightly.

"That's not it..."Shingetsu said before turning away again, hearing the laughter around him.

"Oh, so you do like it?" Jiraiya asked, barely containing his laughter. However, Shingetsu didn't respond and Jiraiya kept trying to get a response out of the young Hozuki.

**With Hikari and the girls**

Hikari looked over at Shingetsu and smiled hearing his response, to many it wouldn't sound like much. To Hikari however, it made being teased about this and having to deal with her father later all worth it.

"So why were you cuddling with him?" Shizune asked from beside Hikari. Hinata on the other side, with Katsumi and Tsunade in front of her.

"It was just the first night in a new place especially after going through the Purge, it was nice..."Hikari answered turning to Shizune.

"I can understand that, but Katsumi-sama said this wasn't the f-first time Hikari-chan," Hinata pointed out.

"Is that true Katsumi-chan?" Tsunade asked looking at the Matriarch of the Hozuki Clan.

"Well it is true, they used to cuddle all the time when they were babies and Hikari would sneak to him as they got older, during the purge when they were near each other that would be where you'd find her as well. Shingetsu-kun only really opens up to her, he will, of course, acknowledge everyone else. Hikari-chan though tricks him into bets during training all the time." Katsumi explained smiling at Hikari.

"Katsumi-sama, you know we are too young to be together or anything like that!" Katsumi said trying to end this once and for all.

"While that is true, we both know the truth Hikari-chan." Katsumi countered.

"Truth? What truth?" Tsunade asked

"Well you see, Hikari-chan and Shingetsu may be best friends, but they are also betrothed. It was drawn up when they became close and in the last days of our time in the Kirigakure it had been approved. I just need to get the document to the Hokage and get it reapproved." Katsumi explains shocking the others and making Hikari sigh.

"A betrothal contract? Why go through all that trouble? They are very close without needing it. Does Shingetsu even know?" Tsunade asked, she was all for teasing the two but a betrothal contract is an extreme measure. Often the couple can find happiness, but there are times in which it will lead to suffering and loneliness and to add to it that the two should be free to marry who they fell in love with was a common belief.

"Well honestly Tsunade-sama, it started as a joke. We just wanted to have the document to tease them when they got older, but they have always been so close and while you could think they would see each other as just friends or siblings. I guarantee you that they both would probably kill anyone else who tried getting as close, it's clear to see that they will end up together one day." Katsumi answered smiling softly.

"Shouldn't they be given that choice then?" Hinata asked, she always feared her clan taking such a choice from her.

"Well we did reveal it to them and they didn't want the document nullified. They reasoned that "We'll find out as we get older if we harbor feelings for each other or not." but you know when they said it, they both were cherry-faced and that was the last time we talked about it." Katsumi reassured.

Turning to Hikari they were all shocked to see Hikari nodding and smiling, she decided to explain since they would ask anyway. So she took a breath and said, "Shingetsu-kun and I, we always knew that we could trust each other, and we had time to talk about it at random points over the past few years. Shingetsu said that he couldn't trust anyone more than me and that we could always decide against it before the deadline. That is true and while the contract is active, neither of us can be wed off. So we have time and comfort to sort out things, but I think he just doesn't want to say how he feels about it. I like the idea of always having my best friend near and we make a good team, everything about it makes sense to me right now. I know things might change later, but I'll take this chance."

It shocked everyone to hear that the two had considered the reality of the situation and not just the face value, it was true that they were bound to each other and that feelings can always change. However, the fact that the two were a good team in all things and the fact the two were close and comfortable with each other was a good starting point.

**Back to the present**

The kids had gone to their first day of the academy shortly after, while the adults went to the meeting. Standing outside the Hokage's office with her was Gengetsu of the Hozuki Clan, Raiden Ringo of the Ringo family, Ryu Uzumaki of the Uzumaki Clan, and Tetsuo Himura of the Himura clan which wondered around the mist before being found by the refugees.

Ryu Uzumaki was a sixty-year-old man with barely graying crimson hair, he stood at six foot two inches. He was a fair-skinned man with violet eyes and wears an azure kimono with black sandals and a red obi. He was elected the clan head in place of Shingetsu's great grandmother, once he heard that there was still a male Uzumaki in Konoha he was excited to meet the boy. He was family after all and besides getting things settled with the village leadership, he wanted nothing more than to spend time with his grandchildren and this new relative of his.

Tetsuo Himura was a thirty-five-year-old man with a tan complexion. He stood at five foot eight inches tall, he had brown eyes and brown hair. The Himura clan had been traveling for a long time, records show that they had settled once for some time when Gengetsu was the Second Mizukage. However, they took to traveling again and helping others around their country. They were renowned for blacksmithing and holding a kekkei genkai that allowed them to turn their weapons into multiform weapons, binding the weapons to souls. These weapons would seal themselves into their wielder and if they were not of Himura lineage the weapon would hold only one form change, the weapons were also indestructible in exchange for having only one form. The Himura clan members though could shift a simple weapon into four forms, but the weapon wasn't indestructible. Though technically the weapon would only disappear into the person's soul until it was either reforged by their ability or healed on its own over a long time. The clan's specialty was fire jutsu and weapon techniques.

Tsunade knew there were still others that couldn't come forth yet, but it was fine as Gengetsu was the proxy for many during this meeting. She could only hope that the meeting and training would go well.

**Endnote: Hello everyone, I want to thank you all for waiting patiently and assure you that this week is an anomaly. So onto the summary, during this chapter we learned that Jiraiya is the grandfather of Naruto, that both he and Tsunade had been lied to, Shingetsu is part Uzumaki through his father's side up until his great grandmother. We got to see an amusing scene and learn a bit more about the relationship between Shingetsu and Hikari. There will be further clarification and even a flashback arc eventually to show different important events in their lives. We also met the clan leaders of a wondering clan and the elected leader of the Uzumaki. The next chapter is the meeting itself and the academy which was originally going to be part of this chapter. **

**Before we go I thought I would give out recommendations every week during these chapters. So the first one I recommend is called Two Halves (Posted by DameWren) but was reposted by J R LeDoux who even followed up with a sequel. The story is one of the ones that got me into reading fanfics in the first place. The story revolves around Naruto's training period that we didn't see in the manga/anime, except he doesn't leave with Jiraiya but a mysterious girl that Tsunade trusts. It is a Naruhina story and though it can be hard to get through some chapters, just trust me that it gets really good. **


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